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Interview Process

Why Oral History?

Oral History is a method of preserving stories and documenting the past from the bottom up (Rediker 2007). This particular mode of historical research is important as it prioritizes storytelling traditions and validates local knowledge. However, dominant cultures and histories have long dismissed oral history as unreliable and baseless in an attempt to whitewash and erase the stories of the marginalized (Conlin 2016, Hurston 2018). As part of our community-led project with Africatown, we have assisted in documenting the vast wealth of knowledge that is their story and struggle. We hope that this project honors and supports Africatown’s historical use of oral tradition. 

Consent and Ownership

One vital aspect of the oral history project is that the copyright for interviews remain with the community historian (the interviewee). We employ a two-step consent process: all participants consent prior to the beginning of the interview. Then, once a transcript is completed and reviewed by the historian, we ask for consent to make the interview public.  Full ownership allows participants in the project to remove the interview from the web at any time they choose, but to retain their own copy of all materials.